CBI chief's meeting with minister raises political storm

CBI Director Ranjit Sinha's reported visit to Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy's residence a day before the agency filed an affidavit today in the Supreme Court on the coal block allocations has kicked up a political storm.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the government of trying to meddle in the affairs of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

"The way Congress has used, abused and misused the CBI for its own purpose is a real threat to (India's) democracy. That is why we are raising the issue," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here Friday.

"We will see what kind of affidavit is filed on the coal issue and then we will comment further," he added.

Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta said: "There is nothing surprising in the meeting. The Congress has used CBI time and again."

CBI director Ranjit Sinha met Narayanswamy Thursday, a day before filing an affidavit before the Supreme Court that the CBI's status report on the coal issue submitted to the court in a sealed cover on March 8 had been shared with the political executive.